Rodgers said: “When you reward young players too quickly – Raheem’s still only 19 – you give them too much too early and that will be their downfall. It’s a big problem because they lose their hunger.”

Liverpool will be anxious not to lose one of their prize assets but the contract will be a concern with big clubs hovering.

Real have cash to spend after selling Angel Di Maria to Manchester United for a British record £59.7million, and have also seen Gareth Bale become a huge success as a Premier League export in Spain since signing him from Tottenham in summer 2013.